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In: History - American·History - British·History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #40244.
The work is a compact scholarly survey of the political development of the Thirteen English colonies from the first Cabot voyages in 1497 through the French‑British rivalry that culminated in the Seven Years’ War. Its author, Reginald W. Jeffery, frames the narrative as a “handy” synthesis, frequently inserting the exact words of contemporary observers and explicitly inviting readers to explore the documentary record further. The opening chapter already sets the tone, contrasting English colonising methods with those of the Spanish, French and Dutch, and proceeds to outline a detailed chapter‑by‑chapter itinerary that covers Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, New England, the Dutch settlements, the Quaker colonies, and the French presence, before moving into social, economic, and military analyses. The book concludes with chronologies, bibliographies, and illustrative plates, underscoring its purpose as a reference guide rather than a novelistic account.
Written in the formal, didactic prose of early‑20th‑century academic history, the text reflects the influence of its acknowledged mentors, the Beit Professor H. E. Egerton and Beit Lecturer W. L. Grant. Its style is dense, citation‑rich, and rooted in the historiographical conventions of 1908, favoring exhaustive enumeration of events and personalities over narrative flourish. Readers who appreciate a methodical, source‑driven overview, students of early American history, scholars tracing colonial administrative evolution, or anyone seeking a structured entry point into the complex tapestry of pre‑revolutionary North America, will find this volume a valuable, if demanding, companion.
The opening · free to read
It has been my object in this small book to put into a handy form a short narrative of the History of the Thirteen Colonies. In the limited space at my command I have endeavoured to give as often as possible the actual words of contemporaries, hoping that the reader may thereby be tempted to search further for himself amongst the mass of documentary evidence which still needs so much careful study. I cannot send this book into the world without acknowledging my indebtedness to both the Beit Professor of Colonial History, Mr H. E. Egerton, and the Beit Lecturer on Colonial History, Mr W. L. Grant, whose kind suggestions have proved most valuable. At the same time I must thank Mr E. L. S. Horsburgh, for by his action the writing of this little work was made possible.
R. W. J.
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